No, Belarus hasn’t declared war on Poland

Belarus’ president has said his country supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Belarus hasn’t declared war on Poland, as a recent Facebook post claims. 

"This is a very stupid move!" the July 8 caption of a video post says. "Belarus declares war on Poland."

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

A video in the Facebook post offers a more nuanced take on global affairs, noting recent remarks by Maj. Gen. Ruslan Kosygin, a top military official in Belarus. Kosygin recently said that Belarus would respond to Western provocations by attacking Poland, according to the International Business Times. 

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on November 10, 2024 in a Threads post

“NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says that ‘if Trump surrenders Ukraine to Putin, he will personally expel the United States from the alliance.’”

"In the event of a conflict, the territory of Poland with its military infrastructure becomes a priority target of the strike, namely decision-making centers, elements of the control system, points of permanent deployment of the National Armed Forces, arsenals and bases, as well as critical objects of their economy and transport infrastructure," the Times quotes Kosygin as saying. 

Poland has previously accused Belarus of engaging in "hybrid warfare" by sending increasing numbers of migrants over their shared border. But the claim that Belarus has declared war on Poland was made in the context of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. 

Although news reports have said that Belarus has threatened to retaliate against Poland in the case of Western provocation, it’s an overreach to say that the country has declared war. 

We rate this post False.